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BCAdvantage 2008; Business and investment across British Columbia Nechako region: Pristine wilderness The Bulkley-Nechako region is home to a range of energy projects, in addition to agricultural innovation and small business growth By Brian Martin It is a vast and beautiful area with relatively few people. The Bulkley-Nechako Regional District covers 73,420 square kilometres and is smack in the centre of British Columbia – pretty well halfway between Prince George and Prince Rupert. It is home to 40,000 people and eight municipalities. The largest are Smithers, with a population of 5,200, and Vanderhoof which has 4,000 residents. Others include Houston, Fort St James, Burns Lake, Telkwa, Fraser Lake and Granisle. It is served by the Yellowhead Highway, which connects the Interior of B.C. with tidewater at Prince Rupert, as well as via CN Rail. Traditionally, forestry, mining, agriculture and tourism have been the mainstays of the regional economy. Today, that remains the case. Mining is enjoying a record exploration year, supported by high world commodity prices. Changing times are, however, causing traditional industrial areas to adjust. Forestry is still the largest sector – but it is a sector that has faced challenges. The recent U.S. housing construction slump, precipitated by the sub-prime mortgage fiasco, combined with the continuing mountain pine beetle infestation that has swept the area, has impacted logging and sawmilling. Yet, in spite of the destruction wrought by the beetle, hope is being provided in the form of new opportunities for pulp and pellet plant operations, as well as value-added wood production such as furniture manufacturing. Bio-energy is today’s star performer, according to Lana Fitt, strategic development analyst with the regional district office based in Burns Lake. Pristine Power Inc. of Calgary and Nexterra Energy are planning five projects in the Bulkley-Nechako area as part of a network of 20 projects in B.C. Nexterra Energy is a well-known B.C. firm whose technology has been proven in the field. Its gasification technology will convert mill waste, logging waste and beetle killed trees into Syngas, which, in turn, is used to produce electricity to feed into the province-wide BC Hydro grid. Harvey Campbell is vice-president of Pristine Power Inc. He expects the first of the projects in the Nechako area to be up and running by 2010. Each is relatively small – about 10 megawatts. Collectively, however, they can add considerably to the province’s “green” electricity supply and provide important local employment. In addition, other firms are starting to make use of the beetle-killed wood. Agriculture in the district is also taking an important step forward. For the first time in recent history, the district will be home to a slaughter house. This is extremely important to farmers who’ve previously found it expensive to ship livestock to more distant slaughterhouses. And that’s against a backdrop of changes to legislation which made it illegal to slaughter livestock on their own farms and ranches. A new operation called The Northwest Premier Meat Co-op has been launched in Telkwa, near Smithers, managed by Eugene Wittwer who has been farming in the area since arriving with his family from Switzerland in 1994. At the time of writing, the abattoir was due to start operating within weeks and initially employ 10-12 people. The co-op already has 125 members made up of producers and consumers. It is not just confined to the local area; members include individuals in Williams Lake and Ashcroft. The co-op will deliver pre-ordered boxes of wrapped and frozen meat to customers throughout the length of the regional district and beyond. The group is also currently in the process of opening a retail meat store in Telkwa. “This will make it possible for men and women to continue farming profitably in this area,” said Wittwer. Meanwhile, in Smithers, the growth in new small businesses has been so dramatic the chamber of commerce recently held a ‘new business gala’ so businesspeople in town would have a chance to meet and network with longer-established operators. Around 70 businesses have taken out business licences in the past year. About 50 of those are permanent, estimates Heather Gallagher of the Smithers District Chamber of Commerce. Hokum Boodles is among them. It is located on Smithers’ main street and is owned and operated by Lana Letts. Hokum Boodles makes all sorts of chocolates, fudges and other sweet treats, such as chocolate-dipped strawberries. Much of it is organic. Business, she said, has been brisk. “I was blown away last summer by how much I was making,” she said. “I love doing what I am doing.” Tourism retains its importance to the economy. The Bulkley-Nechako region is on one of the routes used by American tourists en route to Alaska. They travel by ferry to Prince Rupert and then take Highway 16 into the Interior before turning north. Last summer’s tourist season was dented following the sinking of B.C. Ferries’ Queen of the North. Expectations are, however, that the summer of 2008 will see a major rebound. At least one new hotel is already under construction in the region. Tourists are also attracted during the summer by a wealth of famed fishing lakes, rivers and streams, and by skiing in the winter. • Nechako •Atlin •Burns Lake •Cassiar •Dease Lake •Fort St. James •Houston •Smithers •Telkwa •Vanderhoof |
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